Create your club’s roadmap to success
Membership plans are due by December 31.
By Emily Saalfrank
A strong Kiwanis club doesn’t grow by accident. It grows with intention and purpose — and a team that’s excited about serving kids and the community. That’s why completing your club’s membership plan really matters. It’s a quick way to clarify how you want to grow during this Kiwanis year, as well as how many new members you want to welcome and what tactics you’ll use. When a club takes just a few minutes to reflect and plan, it helps all members to move forward together.
Membership plans for 2025-26 are due December 31, 2025. So if your club hasn’t started, now is the time! Our “Create Your Club’s Membership Plan” workbook is your club’s entry point for:
- Examining where your club is today.
- Strategizing where your club wants to be.
- Analyzing which membership strategies work best for your club.
- Deciding how your club will meet its goals.
Think of your plan as a simple roadmap. It’s not just about adding members — it’s about strengthening your club’s impact in the community and creating more opportunities for people who want to make a difference.
Every plan helps a club get engaged, active and excited about inviting others into the Kiwanis family. Thank you for being part of that energy and momentum. Our communities — and the kids we serve — are stronger because of you.
The form to report your new member-add goal and the recruitment tactic you are using is simple to complete and submit. It also allows others at the district and international levels to support you in achieving your goals.
Break the format for fellowship
Make it fun to be with your club by considering a few ideas beyond the usual Kiwanis activities.
By Tony Knoderer
The strongest Kiwanis clubs grow because people want to join — and want to come back. That requires a very important element: fun.
Sometimes it’s good to do things besides your regular club meetings and service projects. Here are a few ideas for going beyond the typical format to build camaraderie:
- Rent space at a local sports venue for pregame snacks, drinks and appetizers. Then share a seating block to cheer on the home team.
- Try a team-building activity such as a ropes course or an escape room.
- Schedule activities around the seasons: a hayride or bonfire in the fall, hot cocoa and cookies in the winter, a nature walk in the spring, an ice cream social or outdoor concert in the summer.
- Host an annual thank-you event in a casual setting. Whether it’s brunch at a local restaurant or an outdoor picnic or barbecue, members will appreciate a time and place to relax and converse.
However you build fellowship in your club, make sure potential members are welcome too — so they can see that Kiwanis is about fun as well as service. Want an idea? Watch our recent podcast episode in which a member of the Kiwanis Club of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, discusses its monthly “Kiwanis Socials.”